Butternut Squash Salad in a Jar

I’m always looking for a “silver lining” when I’m inconvenienced or when things just don’t seem to be going my way. Recently, I found that silver lining in a major road construction project that closed a through-fare that I frequented on my daily jaunt back and forth to work. Because of the construction, a detour took me down a winding country road that was quite scenic as the fall landscape was beautiful. Tucked in among the oak trees and farm land sat a roadside farm stand that was bursting at the seams with an abundance of cool weather vegetables, plump ripe tomatoes, and an assortment of peppers. The entire front yard displayed a sea of beautiful orange pumpkins where families strolled to pick out a few of their favorites. I had my eyes on the butternut squash as I pulled my vehicle to the side of the road. Hand written prices were scrawled on a mini chalkboard that was propped up against the old wooden flat bed wagon. A tin can was laid out for patrons to square up their bill and honestly leave the amount due. It was like a blast from the past. I was thrilled to have found this quiet piece of paradise alongside the road construction and the hectic traffic of the day.

Arriving home, I searched the web for a delicious looking recipe where I could use my butternut squash. I stumbled on this salad in a jar recipe and immediately gathered the ingredients I would need for the colorful dish. I chose this recipe because of the maple syrup in the dressing. We tapped our trees this past spring and I wanted to use our own maple syrup with the other dressing ingredients. I made a few slight changes to the recipe… Instead of pepitas, I used sunflower seeds and instead of the quinoa, I used couscous. I used a container of field greens for the salad mix. This is a delicious recipe that I will be sure to make again. Here’s the link for this “Fall Mason Jar Salad with Maple Balsamic Dressing”…